More specifically, I’m referring to the Pentax DA-L 1:4-5.8 ED, a telephoto zoom that performs far above its price point. It’s a budget variation on the DA 55-300 4-5.8 ED, differing from its more expensive brother only in that it lacks the "quick shift" focus adjustment and has a plastic mounting bayonet rather than steel. Optically they’re identical. The DA-L version is supposed to be a "kit" lens; that is, sold as part of a body/lens package deal. Pentax doesn’t show this lens in their lens catalogue because it’s not available separately. Well, it’s not supposed to be available separately: Many enterprising retailers split up kits and sell the camera bodies and lenses separately. If you check around on eBay you’ll find several reputable, trustworthy retail outlets doing this (but be sure to check with reputation web sites before buying from a dealer you’re not familiar with). I paid $179.00 for mine.
What you get for your money is a lens that’s compact, lightweight, versatile and sharp, sharp, sharp. Since I do quite a bit of hiking and therefore need to keep my camera gear light and simple, this lens could have been made for me. It was certainly made for my budget! It often comprises half of my hiking lens kit alongside either the DA 12-24/4.0 or the DA*16-5-/2.8. Add a high quality achromatic diopter and the DA-L 55-300 gives you close-up capabilities for wildflower and insect shots, thus sparing you the burden (both financially and in terms of weight) of adding a macro lens to your hiking kit.
Here’s a robin I caught in Hyde Park in London using this lens on a Pentax K-5. Below it is a 100% magnification crop from the same image. That’s impressive detail from a $179 lens by anyone’s standards, but get this: That was shot at 170mm focal length and a 1/25-second shutter speed. So even with the K-5’s impressive in-body shake reduction we’re losing sharpness over what could be achieved under ideal conditions (using a tripod, in other words).
If you can live with the relatively small maximum aperture range, this is a killer lens for anyone who wants or needs to travel light.
170mm, 1/25 second exposure – Depth of field is wafer thin and not all camera shake is eliminated (just try hand holding a 170mm lens at 1/25th!) but the level of detail shows through.
Macro with +1.6 diopter close-up attachment
